Meaning

(chiefly Western Christianity) A screen or decoration behind the altar in a church, usually depicting religious iconography or images, akin to the iconostasis of the Eastern Churches..

Definitions by Sense

1. (chiefly Western Christianity) A screen or decoration behind the altar in a church, usually depicting religious iconography or images, akin to the iconostasis of the Eastern Churches.
2. The back of an open fire-hearth, in medieval halls and in some later architecture inspired by them.

Example Sentences

Near-synonym: retable (often synonymous)

A bad reredos will ruin the best church ever designed; and, although a good reredos cannot convert a bad church into a good one, it may do much to lessen the offensiveness of its badness.

Confusion has reigned in scholarly interpretation, however, because the dark-colored leaves have shown through the succeeding coats of paint across the reredos, interfering with the later scenes.

There seem to be no remains of wooden reredoses of the fourteenth century, though there are a number of examples in stone.

Word Forms

• reredoses
• raredos
• reredosse

Synonyms for reredos

Related Words

When Should You Use Reredos?

Use reredos when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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